MIA hosts first e-freight workshop to help modernise local cargo industry

Posted By : STAT Times
05-08-2016 00:00:00

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Aug 05, 2016: Miami International Airport officials hosted the airport’s first e-Air Waybill (e-AWB) workshop on August 2 for nearly 180 local cargo shippers and airline representatives, with the goal of making air cargo logistics at MIA virtually paperless and keeping America’s top international freight airport on the forefront of new technology.

Through a partnership with the International Air Transport Association (IATA), MIA became one of the first six US cargo hub airports this year to launch the e-AWB 360 campaign, an effort designed to eliminate printing costs, replace manual data entry with a vastly more efficient and reliable digital system, and pave the way toward a completely e-freight cargo industry locally.

At the August 2 workshop, representatives from the Miami-Dade Aviation Department, IATA’s Cargo Network Services, American Airlines, the Florida Customs Brokers and Freight Forwarders Association, the Transportation Security Administration and global supply chain provider Panalpina discussed the benefits of digitising the air waybill, the contract of carriage between shippers and airlines, and the most important document in the air cargo business.

MIA is joined by 16 airlines, all of which serve MIA, minus one - that have committed to participating in the e-AWB 360 campaign and are urging their shipping customers to do the same.

“In addition to leading the country in global freight shipments and perishable imports, we want to lead the way in transport innovation as well,” said Emilio T. González, director, Miami-Dade Aviation.

MIA is developing a number of additional innovations in its cargo area, including: Pharma.aero, an alliance created by MIA and Brussels Airport in May to grow the global pharmaceutical cargo business through a collaborative network of the world’s top airports; a Foreign Trade Zone magnet site designation, which would allow a variety of manufacturers to lease vacant property at MIA and have their tariffs deferred, reduced or eliminated; and the Cargo Optimisation, Redevelopment and Expansion (CORE) Program, a comprehensive concept to modernise MIA’s existing cargo operation and double its capacity.